Olivia turned to her mother, who was folding laundry at the kitchen table, and told her she would get it. Then she walked to the front door and pulled it open.
Brooklyn stood on the porch, holding a bottle of Pinot Noir and two glasses. "I thought you might need a little liquid courage for tomorrow."
Olivia felt an overwhelming rush of gratitude. She hadn't expected Brooklyn to come. She hadn't realized how badly she wanted someone near her who understood the past few weeks without needing the entire agonizing story explained again.
"Thank you," Olivia breathed, opening the door wider.
Karen greeted Brooklyn politely. There was a healthy dose of maternal curiosity in her eyes, as she knew Brooklyn had helped Olivia at Leo's house, but didn't fully know her yet. Brooklyn was perfectly friendly and respectful, charming Karen effortlessly before she and Olivia took the wine and slipped out the back door.
The evening air was mild. They sat in the patio chairs on the small deck.
Brooklyn tried to distract her at first. She poured the wine and launched into a highly dramatized story about a package delivery mix-up involving twenty pounds of imported sculpting clay, a confused mailman, and a neighbor's aggressively friendly golden retriever.
Olivia smiled, grateful for the effort. Brooklyn had been amazing to her. She hadn't asked for any of this mess. She didn't owe Olivia a single thing. And yet, she had showed up.
That profound gratitude twisted into a sharp pang of guilt.
Olivia took a big sip of wine, then blurted out, “I kissed Leo.”
Brooklyn blinked, pausing with her glass halfway to her mouth.
"Wait, no," Olivia corrected herself quickly, her cheeks flushing hot with shame. "Leo kissed me. But I... I kissed him back."
She gripped the stem of her wine glass, staring down at the dark red liquid. "And I feel terrible. I know you said you and Leo are just friends, Brooklyn, but I've seen the way you two are together. I know something is going on, and I do not want to be that woman. I don't want to step into someone else's relationship."
Brooklyn stared at her for a second, and then she let out a loud laugh.
Olivia flinched. "I'm serious."
"Olivia," Brooklyn said, leaning forward and resting a hand on her knee. "Leo and I are just friends. I promise you."
"Nothing happened between you two?" Olivia asked, stunned. "Nothing at all?"
"Nothing at all," Brooklyn confirmed, her dark eyes sparkling with amusement. "Not even a peck."
Olivia didn't know what to do with that information. "But at the mall... you guys seemed so in sync. You acted like you were his new girlfriend. I just thought Leo wasn't telling me yet."
Brooklyn smiled, taking a sip of her wine. "We are very good friends. Leo is an amazing guy. He helped me when I really needed it, even though we didn't really know each other at all yet."
"But how did you meet?" Olivia asked, thoroughly confused.
Brooklyn laughed again, her eyes crinkling. "I'll let Leo tell you that story."
The moment lightened the heavy dread sitting in Olivia’s chest. She was Leo's friend. Maybe, Olivia realized with a small spark of warmth, she was even Olivia's friend now.
The conversation gave her a wave of relief, followed instantly by a terrifying rush of new confusion.
Later that night, after Brooklyn had gone home, Olivia stood in her bedroom, laying out her clothes for the morning.
Karen leaned against the doorframe, watching her. "Are you nervous about tomorrow, sweetheart?"
"Yes," Olivia admitted, her hands smoothing the wrinkles from a pair of dark jeans.
Her mother did not offer a grand, sweeping speech about strength or resilience. She just smiled softly. "You don't have to be the woman you were before everything happened, Olivia. You only have to walk through the door."
That line stayed with Olivia long after she turned the lights out. She stared at the ceiling, her heart racing, taking hours to finally drift off to sleep.
***
